Tag: hobbies

It has its rewards; however, things can be overwhelming sometimes for a stay-at-home mom. Are you always doing things for others with little or no time left for yourself? Here are some ways to relax and de-stress:

Tell others when you feel overwhelmed. They may not like what you have to say, but it is better to express how you feel. You don’t want to hold your feelings in and lash out at a later time. Calmly express your feelings. It’s always nice to HEAR that you’re appreciated for all that you do.

Pamper yourself. Go get a massage, manicure, or pedicure. Go to the beauty salon. If you don’t want to go to the spa, there are things you can do at home. For instance, you can take a long bubble bath, light some scented candles, or give yourself a facial. When you look good, you feel good.

Exercise. Physical activity relieves stress and burns calories.

Take time to see friends. I typically get together with friends at least once a month for dinner or other activity. It gives us a chance to talk and catch up.

Accept those invites. If you get invited to a party or event, go if you don’t have other plans. It’s a privilege to be included.

Have daily quiet time. I either do it first thing in the morning or in the evening. Sometimes I do it twice daily. This is the time that I use to brainstorm, pray, write in my journal, and do meditation.

Have date nights. When you can get a babysitter, plan a night out for two. Dinner and a movie always work well. If you both enjoy sports, plan to go to a game.

Plan a getaway. Sometimes you just need a change in scenery. If you’re fortunate enough to a vacation each year, do it. There are so many beautiful places to see, within the U.S. as well as internationally. Life is shorter than you think.

Get a hobby. Find an activity that you’re passionate about. Your hobby could later become a source of income.

When your kids are in school, that gives you time to run errands and relax for a while. If your kids take naps, use that time to catch up on sleep. I rarely have the opportunity to sleep past 6:30am. I’m usually the first to get up most days. Even though I only have one child, he keeps me busy. I treasure our time together. He’s growing up.

There may be something that you’re obsessed about, like food, a person, or a television show. We sometimes think that obsession is something that you see happening in the movies, but it is very much a reality. For me, I used to be addicted to watching soap operas. I remember my grandmother watching them when I was a kid. Many of them are off the air now, but there are a few that still air during the day like “The Young and the Restless” and the “The Bold and the Beautiful”. I stopped watching the latter a few years ago because the plot just got “old”…everybody sleeping around with the same people. I recently stopped watching “The Young and the Restless”. Since I started back working, I obviously couldn’t watch it during the day. With my unpredictable work schedule, I didn’t have to time to watch my DVR recordings. So, I erased all of them and just decided that I need to stop watching it period. People are still sleeping around, committing adultery, and taking bribes. These are not things that I need to poison my mind with. Temptations come around each day. Why add to it?

Too much television isn’t good for anybody. Specialists tell us not to let our 3-year old son watch television because he has a speech delay. He needs us to talk TO him. He needs to hear live speech. Every now and then I may watch movies, but for the most part, I spend my free time reading, journaling, blogging, and catching up on sleep. I also want to get back to racquetball since it does relieve stress.

Another obsession that I had was Candy Crush. Once you started playing and winning, it was hard to stop. The majority of us own tablets and smart phones with access to thousands of game apps. Or we play them on social media, which is also accessible on our mobile devices.

How do we curb our obsessions? If you have a job/career that keeps you busy, that definitely helps. When you’re not working, exercise, take walks, or play games or sports. If you enjoy reading, read an actual book. Reading on my IPad makes my eyes tired. I know that I’m old school, but I still read books…I even go to the library sometimes. It’s free…you can’t go wrong with a free book. (Just make sure that you bring it back by the due date).

My goal is to blog more. It is my passion. Any hobbies or passions that you have, I encourage you to pursue them. Take time to “cleanse” yourself. Rid yourself from the “poison” that television can produce. We want our kids to be their best. We should strive for that as well.